Going to sleep at night

Is he overtired? Too hot? Still hungry?

Sounds like he is overtired OR not quite ready for sleep.

It's a fine line but my son will cry heartedly for both reasons. Some nights we get it right and don't hear a peep - ahhh. It does help to close the door and turn up the telly. Listening to the crying will only wreck your head.

Another thing which my plunket nurse told me about is the 'witching hour' - normally between 5 and 7, all babies and wee kids play up.

As you know, Nat is only up for 2 hours during the day, but she has to be up from 3-4pm for her 7pm bedtime, otherwise won't go to sleep. we tried giving her a late afternoon nap for a couple of days (waking up around 5pm), and couldn't get her settled before about 9pm

at least he's self-settling ok during the day, but it's almost more frustrating that you know he CAN go to sleep by himself, but just won't!

Try and extend his bed time a bit and see if that makes a difference?

When DS is overtired, he'll wail and then be out like a light.

When DS is in bed too early, he'll wail and then lie in bed staring for an hour.

Fliss, I was wondering the same about Jackson. He always plays up for his 7pm (usually 8pm!!) bedtime, no matter how tired he is.

I wondered if he knows he is going down for a big sleep and that is why?

No tips, I am afraid, as we're going through the same thing. But I am interested in the replies! Hope you can solve it soon.

LMAO, great mental image of your gangly DH crawling out the door!!!

No particular advice, except to say JJ is exactly the same - self settles perfectly for every other sleep but we have a battle at bedtime at night. It is getting better, gradually - I used to have to feed him to sleep at night but don't any more. Just need to spend the last half hour or so of his bedtime routine in his room with minimal talking etc. I think there is a magic window of tiredness too, and it always seems easier when we've had a good day routine-wise.

Must have been something in the air tonight cos JJ went down easily tonight too!

lol at your DH crawling out the room hehe, classic!

My guess would be that he isnt tired enough and maybe he needs to be up till about 7.30 then down for the night? Sometimes it just takes half an hour or so more of being up to tucker them out.

With Caden we dont really have a routine per se(apart from his shower with mummy and then bottle before bed and his music on etc), we go with how he is that night because if he has woken from his last nap at say 4pm there is no way he is going to want to go to sleep at 6.30, he will cry and fuss if i try to put him to bed, but if he woke from his last nap at about 2 or 3 then he will want to go to bed by 6.30 or 7 and will fall asleep quite happily. Usually he is down for the night by 8 at the latest, sometimes its later than that if he wont settle, and in that case we get him up for a play and that will tire him out and we put him in his cot, give him his cuddle toy thats for bedtime only turn his music on say goodnight and leave the room.

I also find that if he is overtired he will grizzle and cry for quite a while and just wont settle for ages, so I will either get him up and sometimes give him a little top of formula he then has a little play and thats enough to tire him out to the point where is is nearly asleep on the floor, or I will cradle him and hum and sing to him in his room with the night light on to settle him and that usually makes him all sleepy and relaxed.


Edited due to my crappy spelling! Time for bed me thinks!

Edited by Sheza

I was having a huge problem too, Kailash would take over an hour to settle down to sleep at night. I used to pat him to sleep so he never really learnt how to go to sleep by himself. He'd also immediately stop crying and be all happy and awake as soon as I picked him up.

He's had a strict bedtime routine for ages but what I found worked for him (and it was so quick it was like a miracle) was giving him a blankie. I just got a square of muslin and wore it in my bra for a few days and then gave it to him at sleep times and now he goes to sleep all by himself. I just pop him in the cot, kiss goodnight make sure he has his dummy and blankie and then leave him to it.

This is his routine:

3.30pm (ish) up from last nap
6pm FF and solids
then bath
then cuddles and story
in bed by 7.15
10pm dreamfeed

since giving him a blankie he has also slept through the night 3 times (previously I was up 7-8 times a night to settle him)

I'd suggest maybe not tired enough, or needs comforting?

we have the same problem - whats with these babies? Jaydens good during the day and at night      (Generally when DH isnt home!) can take ages to get to sleep lots of crying going in settling / putting dummy in etc - so no answers here im afraid!

Any progress Fliss?

Jackson gets so distressed when we put him down now at night. It's only this sleep that does it. Have tried cutting out his late nap, tried different soothing techniques... he just gets really upset and thrashes about in his hammock, and it feels as though it is getting worse not better.

If things are working better for you, I'd love to know what you're doing!